INGLEWOOD — Rams coach Sean McVay was going to defer to the medical staff again after fielding another injury question during this lost season filled with injuries.
But McVay stopped himself. This injury question relating to Matthew Stafford’s long-term health was one he was comfortable answering.
Was McVay relieved about Stafford avoiding a second concussion this season or concerned because his quarterback had sustained a severe neck injury?
“I think what I do is I defer to those,” McVay said before altering his response. “Yeah, it’s definitely a relief because I think that’s positive that he’s out of that protocol. So, that’s one of those steps that you feel good about, and then continuing to gather the appropriate information. How long is the (recovery for the) neck thing? What exactly is it? It’s not something that has been communicated that’s anything that you worry about in terms of the long term as it leads to next year and things like that.”
It started as a dance, but McVay provided a straightforward answer that Stafford’s neck injury shouldn’t prevent him from playing next season. Stafford, however, won’t play Sunday at SoFi Stadium against the Seattle Seahawks (6-5), and he’ll also be out for the upcoming games against the Las Vegas Raiders, Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos after the team placed Stafford on injured reserve Saturday.
Stafford will be eligible to return for the final two games – against the Chargers and the regular-season finale in Seattle – but his 2022 season is probably over.
The Rams (3-8) might shut down Stafford for the rest of the season because they’re not in playoff contention, but that decision belongs to Stafford, his family and the team. Many social-media doctors have been suggesting Stafford should take it a step further and consider retirement as a 14-year veteran with a Super Bowl title.
And maybe that’s something Stafford, 34, considers in the offseason after sustaining a concussion and neck injury two weeks apart. It’s also concerning that Stafford felt numbness in his legs after taking a sack during the third quarter of the Week 11 game against the New Orleans Saints.
But again, the decision to play this season belongs to the team, Stafford and his family.
The decision to play next season, however, doesn’t belong to the team – that one is for Stafford and his family.
But what if Stafford decides to retire? Does that create a domino effect? Rams star defensive lineman Aaron Donald, 31, flirted with retirement this past offseason after adding a Lombardi Trophy to his decorated résumé, one that will surely send him to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
The Rams will get a glimpse of what life is like without Stafford and Donald when they face the Seahawks on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. Donald, who suffered an ankle injury last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, will miss his first career game due to injury.
“He’s been on the field every time since I’ve been a Ram,” cornerback Jalen Ramsey said. “So it will be different.”
If the Rams find themselves without their most important players on offense and defense next season, they might be taking a page from the Seahawks on how to rebuild quickly – the Rams are well aware Los Angeles doesn’t have patience for long-term rebuilds.
The Rams, not the inexperienced Seahawks with Geno Smith at quarterback, were supposed to contend with the San Francisco 49ers for an NFC West title. But the Seahawks appear to have had a franchise-altering draft class with the 2022 selections of running back Kenneth Walker III, offensive linemen Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas and cornerbacks Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant.
“I think it’s a credit to the culture that they’ve built there,” McVay said about the Seahawks’ quick rebuild. “They’ve got a very clear philosophy with (Seahawks general manager) John Schneider and (Seahawks Head) Coach (Pete) Carroll in terms of who they want onboard, what they want it to look like, and I think that’s served them really well. It’s why they’ve been so consistently successful over the last handful of years.
“They play hard. They’re very fundamentally sound. They’re disciplined in all three phases and, like I said, there’s a clear-cut philosophy on how they want to compete and what they want their tape to be able to look like. They’ve had a lot of rookies that have really contributed, done a lot of really good things on both sides of the football. Whether it’s the offensive linemen, the (running) back, you’re looking at some of their DBs, it’s been really impressive and that’s kind of par for the course for those guys just getting more familiar with them over the last six years.”
The Seahawks’ 2022 draft class is producing early, like their stellar class of 2012 with middle linebacker Bobby Wagner and quarterback Russell Wilson. The Seahawks parted ways with their long-time cornerstone players this past offseason, with Wagner signing a five-year deal with the Rams and Wilson being traded to the Denver Broncos in a haul that included three players and first- and second-round picks in 2022 and 2023.
“I did not pay any attention to them, to be honest,” Wagner said about the Seahawks’ quick rebuild. “I was focused on the Rams because that’s what my shirt says at this moment.”
The Rams’ philosophy since McVay arrived six seasons ago has been to trade top picks for proven star players and build depth through the back end of the draft. That philosophy delivered a Super Bowl last season, but it might be time for the Rams to change their philosophy, regardless of what Stafford and Donald decide to do for next season.
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The NFL is constantly changing. The Rams had Stafford and Donald on the field together for the first half of the season and it didn’t lead to wins. But reevaluating philosophies and waiting for potential retirements can wait.
The Rams have a game to play Sunday without Stafford and Donald.
“It’s pretty easy,” Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris jokingly said about game planning without Donald. “You just go into it without the best football player of all time and get ready for a team. But no, it is what it is.”